Joy Pockets

"No matter what is going on in our lives finding the little moments that bring us some joy reminds us what we are here for....to love life. - Monica at Bohemian Twilight. Here are some of my "joy pockets" from the last week.

 Old Journals (I didn't know how to spell menstrual)

Gramen Farm

My Niece, Abigail

Finding two library cd's that had been lost for two months!

Coffee in the morning

Beer in the afternoon

My kids' need to follow me wherever I go (this bugs me and yet brings me joy)

Looking through old pictures

Thankful that our beach house doesn't still look like this

...and hoping for a hurricane free year.

The Homemaker In Me

Well I've decided to take a break from the nature walks for the weekend and bring out the homemaker in me. We spent the day today with a quick trip to Gramen Farm to pick up eggs and milk, and then we had a bakefest.

We started with jalapeno cheese bread and while that was rising we worked on a cake. The jalapeno cheese bread recipe is one I found a while back with a simple google. I don't have cheese right now, but it doesn't really matter.

The cake recipe I got from Melanie at Our Ash Grove. I really like using honey instead of sugar as the sweetener. My house smelled wonderful. However, the cake didn't come out from the pan so well.

I've never really been much of a cook/baker. We eat real simple around here. I'll cut up some tomatoes, peppers, and okra, throw them in a baking pan, pour on some olive oil, season it, sprinkle goat cheese, and throw it in the oven. Last night I cooked some ground beef, added beans, tomatoes, onions, seasoning, and wala! Dinner. Tastes good to me and we're not starving. Or, on some days, the kids eat (eagerly I might add) spoonfuls of peanut butter for lunch. Anyhoo, I'm excited about my relaxing weekend. Just going to clean a bit, get in a little sewing, read, and maybe make a trip to the library. I need to find something new (and yet not too hard) to knit. Other than that, I don't plan on going anywhere. Home Sweet Home.

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. Thanks Soulemama.

Akokisa Indian Village and Redbud Hill Homestead

We went to Jesse H. Jones Park today to see the replica Akokisa Indian Village and the Redbud Hill Homestead. This is where they have Homestead Heritage Day, Haunted Homestead, NatureFest, Old-Fashioned Christmas, and Pioneer Day. We're really looking forward to those events and the cooler weather that comes along. It was a short hike to the village and homestead. We created some art along the way.

Smelled the flowers.

Saw this little guy. (I like armadillos because they can't see well making it easy to sneak up on them).

"The Redbud Hill Homestead represents the lifestyle of the 1820s and ‘30s when Texas was still a part of Mexico, and Stephen F. Austin brought the first American colonists to live in East Texas." - Harris County Precinct 4 Website

"Early 18th century Spanish, French, and Anglo explorers found about 3,500 Akokisa (or Orcoquisa) Indians living in Chambers, Galveston, Harris, and Liberty counties, and a major Akokisa village was located just across Spring Creek from Jones Park." - Harris County Precinct 4 Website

 Naia was in the sweat lodge for a long time messing with something on the ground. She's always picking up sticks and rocks so I didn't think anything of it. Finally, I asked her what she was looking at and she said a snake! What! Get out of there woman! I didn't look for a snake, but I don't think that's something she would make up. Guess we'll never know. Leaving y'all with a personal Lady Gaga performance featuring Eaden. Enjoy!

Excuse all of the horrible pictures. I had been using my mom's camera for the past couple of posts and the pictures were fine. I decided to switch back to mine for this because hers is just so darn big. And of course, blurry pictures. Can anyone recommend a good small camera?

Yarn Along

I finally finished the hat!

I believe it is a little too small for its intended recipient, but that's okay. Here is the smallest head I could find.

I had a hard time taking pictures of the books we're reading, so I decided to cheat and just upload pics from the Internet. I'm on a pretend I live in a different time period kick, hence the picks.

These are all juvenile books that I checked out from the library for myself while browsing for my kids. The top two are 2011-2012 Texas Bluebonnet books. As a librarian, I have found that Bluebonnet books are usually not as desirable to kids as they are to their parents. I guess I'll be checking out the Louisa May Alcott one that made the list this year too. As for "adult" fare, I am reading Witnessing America: The Library of Congress Book of Firsthand Accounts of Life in America 1600-1900. I love it! I really hope that when we die we get to pick different time periods and places to live in with our friends and family. It could happen. Check out others or post your own Yarn Along over at Small Things.

Lake Houston Wilderness Park

I've decided that since we cannot go to the mountains anytime real soon, we will thoroughly explore our immediate area. We will then branch out to southeast Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Maybe when the kids are a bit older and perhaps we have a car that can make it up and down mountains, we'll make that special trip. Today we made it out to Lake Houston Wilderness Park in New Caney.

 We immediately came upon this creek and I knew I made a mistake by not bringing swimsuits or extra clothes. We are going to have to go back soon for a complete creek exploration. Maybe next week.

 The girls met some boys who taught them all about frog huntin'.

 Naia nearly gave me a heart attack walking over this bridge (she trips and falls a lot).

 We explored the trails a bit.

 Cut back down to the creek.

 And back up to the trails.

And another heart attack.

Good day. Thankful.